Vanilla cake with strawberry filling

So the last time I made a vanilla cake with a fruit filling the cake turned to a bread pudding like consistency. No bueno. Not that is was the filling's fault...I actually found the refrigerator door open a tad and I seriously think the humidity got to my cake (I'm in FL and it was 95 degrees in June). The next time I made a vanilla cake I used a dulce de leche filling and the door to my refrigerator remained shut and the cake was perfectly fine :)

However, now I'm paranoid and in search of a killer strawberry filling for a vanilla cake. The only cakes I've made were for my own daughters and now I'm making a cake for a friend's daughter, so I want to make something great. Can anybody recommend their favorite? I have the cake recipe all ready to go, just want to make a super yummy filling. Cake will be crumb coated and then lightly frosted with buttercream and then covered in fondant.